The 2026/27 snooker season is only just getting under way, but the battle for tour survival is already beginning to take shape.
The provisional end-of-season rankings, available over at the excellent snooker.org website, provide an early indication of which players could find themselves in danger of losing their professional statuses at the conclusion of the campaign.
Of course, there is still plenty of time for the situation to change with a packed schedule of ranking events giving competitors numerous opportunities to bolster their positions.
Indeed, there are currently 18 ranking tournaments on the calendar for a 2026/27 campaign that is to get under way on Wednesday with the China Open qualifiers in Leicester.
Yet several established names are already hovering around the crucial top-64 cut-off point, while others are projected to finish outside it altogether.
Among them is former world snooker champion Luca Brecel, whose predicament will undoubtedly raise eyebrows throughout the sport.
Let’s take a look at some of the players who could become embroiled in a fight for tour survival during the 2026/27 snooker season.
Luca Brecel
Just over three years ago, Luca Brecel fulfilled his immense potential by becoming the first player from continental Europe to win the World Snooker Championship.
The Belgian climbed as high as number two in the world rankings and appeared destined to become a regular contender for the game’s biggest prizes.
Since then, however, results have been difficult to come by – not least because of an apparent lack of motivation to put the work in.
Brecel remains one of the most naturally gifted players on the circuit, but his ranking has dramatically tumbled and he currently finds himself provisionally outside the top 64.
Few would back against the 31 year-old finding enough form to avoid any genuine danger, but his presence on this list is remarkable nonetheless.
Provisional end-of-season ranking: 66 (£49,000)
Ricky Walden
Three-time ranking event winner Ricky Walden is another player whose position may come as a surprise to many fans.
A former top-10 player and once a regular fixture at the business end of major tournaments, Walden has found consistency harder to come by across the last decade or so.
The Englishman currently occupies the final projected top-64 position, meaning any slip-up could see him fall into immediate danger.
Given his pedigree and experience, Walden will be determined to avoid becoming involved in a prolonged relegation battle.
Provisional end-of-season ranking: 64 (£53,050)
Jordan Brown
Jordan Brown knows better than most how quickly fortunes can change in professional snooker.
The Northern Irishman famously beat Ronnie O’Sullivan to capture the Welsh Open title in 2021, a triumph that propelled him from outside the top 80 to a career-high ranking of number 22 not long after.
But Brown has struggled to maintain that momentum in recent years and only just secured tour survival at the end of last season by finishing in 64th spot on the official two-year list.
The outlook looks even less promising now as he begins the new campaign provisionally ranked 72nd on the new end-of-season list.
A strong run in one of the early tournaments could quickly alter the picture, but he will have to rediscover his old form.
Provisional end-of-season ranking: 72 (£45,950)
Jimmy Robertson
Jimmy Robertson’s ranking situation is another reminder of how competitive the modern professional circuit has become.
The Englishman has been up and down the rankings like a yoyo since his maiden ranking victory at the 2018 European Masters.
Robertson is officially ranked at number 33 in the world rankings but has a lot of points coming off for his run to the quarter-finals of the lucrative Saudi Arabia Masters in 2024.
The 40 year-old is no stranger to tour survival battles, memorably emerging from a win-or-bust showdown with Zhao Jianbo in a deciding frame at the 2021 World Snooker Championship qualifiers to extend his stay on the main tour.
Provisional end-of-season ranking: 61 (£54,100)
Provisional end-of-season snooker rankings
Below is a look at the players provisionally occupying the positions around the crucial top-64 cut-off point.
| 50 | Ben Mertens | £66,500 | 61 | Jimmy Robertson | £54,100 |
| 51 | Martin O’Donnell | £66,400 | 62 | Sam Craigie | £53,600 |
| 52 | Matthew Selt | £63,750 | 63 | Fan Zhengyi | £53,150 |
| 53 | Tom Ford | £63,100 | 64 | Ricky Walden | £53,050 |
| 54 | Louis Heathcote | £62,200 | 65 | Jamie Jones | £50,050 |
| 55 | Michael Holt | £62,150 | 66 | Luca Brecel | £49,000 |
| 56 | Scott Donaldson | £58,950 | 67 | David Lilley | £48,600 |
| 57 | Liam Highfield | £58,300 | 68 | Iulian Boiko | £48,000 |
| 58 | Marco Fu | £57,150 | 69 | Lyu Haotian | £47,850 |
| 59 | Ben Woollaston | £57,100 | 70 | Ishpreet Singh Chadha | £46,550 |
| 60 | Liu Hongyu | £55,400 | 71 | Dylan Emery | £45,950 |
| 72 | Jordan Brown | £45,950 |
Fan Zhengyi
It wasn’t that long ago that Fan Zhengyi was being tipped as one of the brightest young talents in Chinese snooker.
The 25 year-old announced himself in stunning fashion when he beat Ronnie O’Sullivan to win the European Masters in 2022.
Yet Fan has found it difficult to build on that breakthrough success and is now facing an important campaign.
Still young enough to turn things around, Fan nevertheless begins the season hovering precariously above the top-64 cut-off point.
Provisional end-of-season ranking: 63 (£53,150)
Marco Fu
Marco Fu has enjoyed one of the most distinguished careers of any Asian player in the history of the game.
The Hong Kong star has contested finals at both the UK Championship and the Masters, while he spent many years established among the world’s elite.
Now 48, the three-time ranking event winner is attempting to prolong a professional career that stretches back almost three decades.
The veteran remains a highly respected competitor and he has produced his old form on occasion recently, but a persistent issue with his vision has made competing in longer matches difficult.
One positive for Fu is that he doesn’t have the distraction of having any points to defend, as this season will be the second of his current two-year card.
Provisional end-of-season ranking: 58 (£57,150)
Lyu Haotian
Still only 28 years of age, Lyu Haotian is a player who has been around for a very long time but continues to struggle in his attempt to secure a genuine breakthrough.
The Chinese player reached the final of the Indian Open in 2019 and climbed as high as number 24 in the world rankings.
However, his progress has stalled in recent years and he begins the new season projected outside the top 64.
Lyu, who boasted just one quarter-final appearance last term, possesses more than enough ability to improve that standing, but the pressure will be on from the outset.
Provisional end-of-season ranking: 69 (£47,850)
Tom Ford
Of all the players mentioned here, Tom Ford is arguably in the healthiest position.
The Leicester potter remains 36th officially and is provisionally ranked 53rd on the end-of-season list, boasting a reasonable buffer to the cut-off point.
Nevertheless, Ford will be fully aware that a couple of quiet seasons can quickly have a significant impact on a player’s ranking position.
The Englishman, ranked as high as 13 as recently as 2024, will be targeting a strong start to ensure that he doesn’t become dragged into the tour survival battle later in the campaign.
Provisional end-of-season ranking: 53 (£63,100)
Featured photo credit: WST
